Milanesa: Argentina's Thin Breaded Cutlet

Milanesa: the thin breaded cutlet Argentines fry in the evening kitchen

Milanesa is a dish very familiar on Argentine tables: meat pounded thin, coated in egg and breadcrumbs, and fried. When you make it in your own kitchen, the first question is "how is this different from a pork cutlet (tonkatsu)?" The answer is thickness. Milanesa spreads the meat thin, puts on a thin coating, and is a flat piece that nearly overhangs the plate, eaten with lemon.

Locally, cuts such as nalga, bola de lomo and peceto are often named, lean cuts that slice thin easily. At home, it is practical to pound a beef round steak to about 5 mm, or to use lean beef round slices one at a time without overlapping. A heavily marbled cut looks luxurious, but the fat piles on top of the aroma of the coating and the oil and moves away from the lightness of milanesa.

The name calls to mind Milan, Italy. In Argentina the dish is often spoken of in connection with the food culture of European immigrants, especially Italians, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. What matters at home, though, is not pinning down the origin but how it is eaten on Argentine tables today. Squeeze lemon on it, serve it with mashed potatoes or salad, and make a sandwich of what is left. With all of that included, milanesa becomes more than "a thin cutlet."

If you are building a menu of Argentine food, asado is the link for a day when meat is the star, chimichurri for a day with an herb sauce, and empanadas for a light starter. It is also fried like revuelto Gramajo, which brings potatoes and eggs together, but the heat and the speed at which you eat it differ a little.

Ingredients, and where to draw the line on authenticity

This amount makes 4 large milanesas. Because the meat is spread thin, the same 600 g makes more pieces than thick cutlets, and with salad and mashed potatoes on the side it is just the right amount for the table.

For beef round, pounding out a thick steak gives an even texture. If you use sliced meat, avoid slices as thin as shabu-shabu cuts and pick lean pieces a little larger than those for yakiniku. If the meat is 2 mm or thinner, only the coating stands out and the aroma of the meat loses.

Fine dry breadcrumbs are easier to handle than coarse fresh Japanese-style panko. If you only have coarse crumbs, put them in a bag and crush them lightly with a rolling pin. The finer the grains, the closer to the local pan rallado, and the more thinly and evenly they stick. Aim for a thick coating like tonkatsu and it moves toward a different fried dish rather than milanesa.

This recipe uses wheat, egg and beef. Pork or chicken follows the same structure, but the doneness guide changes. Check 74°C at the center for chicken breast, and 63°C or higher for pork loin, and rest 3 minutes before cutting to be safe. Even with beef round, cook until no red remains at the center of the thin piece.

What to look for when shopping

Beef, eggs, breadcrumbs and lemon can all be gathered at a neighborhood store. Only the tools that make a big difference to the result are worth singling out. Milanesa changes with the thinness of the meat, the oil temperature and the draining. Steadying these with tools reduces first-time failures such as "the coating colored but the meat is tough" or "it sat on paper, absorbed oil and turned heavy."

A tool for thinning meat makes it easier to even out 5 mm thickness. A bottle or a rolling pin can substitute, but a meat mallet that lets you lightly pound only the thick parts finds use in South American thin-meat dishes such as milanesa and chivito.

With low oil temperature the coating absorbs oil, and too high only the outside scorches. A thermometer is useful for holding 170–175°C. Frying several thin pieces in a row especially tends to drop the oil temperature from the second piece on.

Because you fry one wide piece at a time, a heavy skillet is easier to handle than a thin small pot. At around 26 cm, each piece can lie flat and it is easier to secure an oil depth of about 2.5 cm. After frying, do not stack the pieces on paper; drain the oil on a rack.

Method

The work goes in this order: thin the meat, put aroma into the egg wash, coat thinly, rest 5 minutes, fry at 170–175°C, and drain on a rack. If you rush from coating straight into the oil, the crumbs peel off easily.

Substitutes and causes of failure

Think of substitutes for milanesa in terms of thickness and thinness of the coating rather than the meat. On days you cannot get beef round, pork loin, chicken breast or chicken tenderloin also work. With chicken, however, check 74°C at the center, and with pork check 63°C or higher and allow resting time. If you make it with eggplant or soy meat you can enjoy it as a home dish of the same name, but the aroma of beef is a different thing.

To make it a napolitana (milanesa napolitana), top a fried milanesa with 2 tbsp tomato sauce, 1 thin slice of ham and 25 g melting cheese, and bake for 3–4 minutes in a 220°C toaster oven. This is like layering another dish on top of the basic milanesa. The first time, eat it with only lemon to check the thinness of the coating and the meat, then try it, and the difference is clearer.

Eating, storing and reheating

Fresh from the oil, squeezing lemon and eating it with salad is the lightest way. For the star of dinner, serve it with mashed potatoes, and for lunch, put it in bread as a sandwich. In Argentina the milanesa sandwich is also a familiar way to eat it. If you put it in bread, do not spread sauce too thickly, and thin slices of lettuce and tomato are enough to keep the aroma of the coating.

If you make ahead, keep it coated but unfried for up to 2 hours in the refrigerator, not longer. After frying, 2 days in the refrigerator. Let it cool a little, wrap lightly in paper and put in a container. The paper is there to take up oil, but if it clings for long the coating turns damp. Before eating the next day, remove the paper and warm in a toaster or oven.

You can freeze it, but the lightness of the coating drops in a home freezer. To freeze, wrap each fried milanesa in plastic wrap, put in a storage bag and eat within 2 weeks. To reheat, put in a 180°C oven still frozen for 12–14 minutes. When it is hot at the center, 2 more minutes in the toaster helps bring the surface back.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make it with chicken breast instead of beef?

Yes. Open out the thick part of the chicken breast to 7 mm or less and fry at 170–175°C. The guide for the center temperature is 74°C. It has more moisture than beef, so blotting the surface with paper after seasoning before adding flour makes the coating peel less.

Are coarse Japanese-style fresh breadcrumbs okay?

You can make it, but the thinness of a true milanesa is harder to get. Put them in a bag and crush lightly with a rolling pin to make the grains finer before using. Coat coarse crumbs thickly and the texture moves toward tonkatsu.

Can I bake it with less oil?

You can pan-fry it. If you reduce the oil to 1 cm deep, cut the meat smaller and allow 3 minutes on the first side and 2 1/2 minutes after flipping. With a shallow oil surface, though, the sides of the coating dry out easily and the color is uneven. The first time, frying at 2.5 cm deep is more reproducible.

How is it different from napolitana?

A napolitana is a basic milanesa topped with tomato sauce, ham and cheese and baked. The name calls Naples to mind, but it is known as a variation that spread in Argentine eateries and homes. Frying the basic one first and baking briefly at the end keeps the coating from getting heavy.

Can I make a sandwich from leftover milanesa?

Yes. Warm the refrigerated milanesa in a toaster, and layer on the bread mayonnaise with a little lemon squeezed in, lettuce and tomato in thin slices. A watery sauce makes the coating damp, so assemble just before eating.

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